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Nuggets' Chandler returning at right time

Denver's bench lacking in production

By Christopher Dempsey The Denver Post

Posted:
01/14/2013 10:52:00 PM MST

Updated:
01/14/2013 10:52:01 PM MST

DENVER -- Nuggets coach George Karl doesn't claim to know bench statistics from last season to this, but he knows this: Wilson Chandler's addition, now that he's back from injury, can do nothing but help the reserve unit. The bench players have been good, but he wants better production.

Last season those numbers were: 41.5 points, 18.9 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 3.7 steals and 2.5 blocks. So the numbers are down, nearly across the board.

"I wouldn't have an idea what the numbers are," Karl said.

Perhaps this is the number that explains it all - 13.2. That's how many fewer minutes per game bench players are playing this season.

It's a severe drop for a reserve unit that was arguably the best in the NBA last season. This season, veteran point guard Andre Miller still leads all bench players in playing time, but his minutes are down to 25.5 per game from 27.5 a season ago. Corey Brewer is the only other Nugget reserve over 20 minutes per game, at 23.5, while a season ago Al Harrington was logging 27.1 minutes and JaVale McGee was just over 20 minutes a game, along with Brewer. It's why Miller can look at the numbers and be confident that the reserves are doing everything they did last season, but in a little less court time.

"I think we've pretty much continued what we did from last year," Miller said. "Coming in, providing energy, getting us back in games.

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Just, for the most part, being concrete for this organization."

Brewer agreed: "I feel our bench has been good. Our bench play has won us quite a few games."

Karl expressed satistfaction in his bench, but with a different view. "Liking my bench means liking the security I have," Karl said. "It doesn't mean we have to play them. Having Timofey Mozgov as a backup big is a tremendous luxury. Having Evan (Fournier) and Jordan (Hamilton) as our fourth and fifth guards is a tremendous luxury. I know it doesn't make them happy, but it's a luxury. And most of the time teams fit those guys in because of injuries."

By contrast, Nuggets starters minutes are up from a season ago, but just because the starters have played more doesn't mean Karl is overjoyed with their play.

"Our starters have been slow starters," Karl said. "They haven't been guys that come out and jump into the game in the first quarter. I'm pretty sure our first quarter is our worst quarter. I think our starters have not been intensely focused, and we have too much coolness in our starting lineup at times. It seems like it's worse at home than it is on the road.

" At home it seems like we come out with an arrogance that we're at home, we're going to win. It doesn't work that way in the NBA."

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